Author: diana

“Wild Tales”—Nothing Tame About This

Written by diana on March 2, 2015. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on “Wild Tales”—Nothing Tame About This

Wild Tales Nominated for the 2015 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film (unfortunately losing to “Ida”), “Wild Tales” is like no other film I have seen in recent years. This dark series of six vignettes channeling “Twilight Zone” and “Black Mirror” is the surreal creation of Argentine writer-director Damián Szifrón and produced by Pedro Almodóvar (of “Volver” and “All About My Mother” fame). Grudges, minor insults, infidelity, and heinous crimes all lead to mayhem, revenge, and murder on a cataclysmic, sometimes savage scale. While the first tale is my favorite, all six have scathing, psychological...

“Apparitions: Frottage and Rubbings from 1860 to Now” @ Hammer Museum (UCLA)

Written by diana on February 21, 2015. Posted in Art, Unhealed Wound. 1 Comment on “Apparitions: Frottage and Rubbings from 1860 to Now” @ Hammer Museum (UCLA)

Dominick Di Meo– “Untitled (numbers creatures)” This pioneering exhibit—the first to focus on frottage as an art technique– currently ongoing until May 31, is a scintillating, deceptively simple display of approximately 100 artworks by fifty artists using the technique known as frottage (French: “to rub”). Rubbing a textured surface with a pastel, charcoal pencil, crayon, or printer’s ink over paper or canvas on top of a textured surface, the artist creates a relief image. Associated with the surrealist movement, particularly Max Ernst (1891-1976) , these rubbed...

“Salamander”—Hiding Under a Rock

Written by diana on February 17, 2015. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on “Salamander”—Hiding Under a Rock

“Salamander” the movie This Belgian drama twelve-part TV miniseries, released through Netflix and BBC in 2014, is a crime thriller in the same league as the edge-of-the-seat series Wallander, Bridge, and The Killing. A small private bank in Brussels, is robbed of 66 safe deposit boxes belonging to some of the most prominent statesmen in Belgium. A scandal is brewing since all are members of a secret society, code-named Salamander, dating back to the Second World War. A highly scrupulous police inspector Paul Gerardi (Filip Peeters) begins the investigation, unaware of the...

“Still Alice”—Unforgettable

Written by diana on February 8, 2015. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Still Alice”—Unforgettable

Adapted from neuroscientist Lisa Genova’s novel, “Still Alice” takes a straightforward look at the sad, terrifying and difficult-to-bear illness of Alzheimer’s. But bear it we must. The story of Alice Howland (the remarkable Julianne Moore), a fifty-something linguistics professor happily married to a fellow intellectual (Alec Baldwin) and the mother of three adult children (the youngest superbly played by Kristen Stewart) could be a story about any of us. After receiving a diagnosis for Alzheimer’s, Alice attempts to deal with the challenges of the disease as intelligently and courageously...

“Foxcatcher”—Let This One Go

Written by diana on February 3, 2015. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on “Foxcatcher”—Let This One Go

‘Foxcatcher” the movie “Foxcatcher” is director Bennett Miller’s explorations into the dark side of sports. Based on true events, “Foxcatcher” retells the dark and tragic story of the megalomaniac multimillionaire, John E. (“Eagle”) du Pont (played by the unrecognizable Steve Carrell). A failed wrestler himself, du Pont lavishes a fraction of his fortune onto the Schultz brothers whom he hopes will win the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Most of the scenes are shot near du Pont’s Foxcatcher estate in rural Pennsylvania. Flattered by du Pont’s attention and financial support, Mark Schultz (Channing...

“Headhunters” – Or, The Man Hunt

Written by diana on January 25, 2015. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Headhunters” – Or, The Man Hunt

Headhunters Based on the 2008 bestseller by Scandinavian novelist Jo Nesbø, Headhunters is a crime thriller with more twists and turns than any similar film I’ve seen in the last ten years. Nominated for the 2013 BAFTA Best Foreign Language Film and directed by the remarkable Morten Tyldum (also director of The Imitation Game), Headhunters will not disappoint! The story opens with Roger, (Aksel Hennie), a successful headhunter, living a life of luxury far beyond his means. Never confident that his wife, a stunningly beautiful blonde, could really love his unremarkable self, Roger uses his...